Trump hits Fox News for ‘wasting airtime’ with coverage of Buttigieg

President Trump on Sunday criticized Fox News, accusing the network of “wasting airtime” over its coverage of South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and other Democratic 2020 contenders.

“Hard to believe that @FoxNews is wasting airtime on Mayor Pete, as Chris Wallace likes to call him,” he wrote, referring to Buttigieg and the Fox News host.

{mosads}Fox News is scheduled to host a town hall with Buttigieg on Sunday night. 

“They forgot the people who got them there. Chris Wallace said, ‘I actually think, whether you like his opinions or not, that Mayor Pete has a lot of substance…fascinating biography.’ Gee, he never speaks well of me – I like Mike Wallace better…and Alfred E. Newman will never be President!” Trump added, doubling down on his comparison of the mayor to the character Alfred E. Neuman who appears on the cover of Mad Magazine.  

Hard to believe that @FoxNews is wasting airtime on Mayor Pete, as Chris Wallace likes to call him. Fox is moving more and more to the losing (wrong) side in covering the Dems. They got dumped from the Democrats boring debates, and they just want in. They forgot the people…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2019

….who got them there. Chris Wallace said, “I actually think, whether you like his opinions or not, that Mayor Pete has a lot of substance…fascinating biography.” Gee, he never speaks well of me – I like Mike Wallace better…and Alfred E. Newman will never be President!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2019

Buttigieg is among two dozen people competing for the Democratic Party’s 2020 nomination to challenge Trump. 

Wallace last month praised the mayor as having “interesting, refreshing ideas” and more “substance” than former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), another White House hopeful. The Fox News anchor is the son of legendary “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace, who died in 2012.

The Democratic National Committee announced in March that it would not allow Fox News to host any of its presidential primary debates this cycle, pointing to an explosive New Yorker article detailing deep ties between the conservative network and Trump’s White House.

Fox News specifically cited Wallace, as well as fellow anchors Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, in its pushback to that decision at the time.

“They’re the best debate team in the business and they offer candidates an important opportunity to make their case to the largest TV news audience in America, which includes many persuadable voters,” Fox News Senior Vice President and Managing Editor Bill Sammon said.

The Hill has reached out to Fox News for comment on Trump’s tweet.